Junior Showmanship Award went to James Tarin and the Senior Showmanship
Award was netted by Jennifer Ward.

In the Steers Division, JoGina Gallegos placed first; Jamie Gallego,
second and Levon Barragan took third.

Steer Showmanship winner was Jamie Gallego.

A barbecue lunch was held during the stock show and the Balmorhea winners
will be at this weekend's Reeves County Livestock Show at the Reeves County
Civic Center.

Commissioners given positive financial report

By ROSIE FLORESStaff WriterReeves County had a very successful year financially, county auditor
Lynn Owens told Reeves County Commissioners Court during their regular
meeting Monday.

The court met for the first time with new members Gilberto "Hivi" Rayos
and David Castillo, and discussed several items, along with hearing Owens
financial review.

All departments stayed within their allocated budget and $191,000 was
added to the general fund, according to Owens.

"This is what we had at the end of 1998," said Owens, who told commissioners
he provides the court with an expenditure over revenue report every month.

Along with the addition to the general fund, the Reeves County Detention
Center added $180,000 to their ending balance.

"We did really well this year and I'm proud of all the departments,"
said Owens.

There were more expenses than revenue in the Road and Bridges Department,
but as far as operating-type funds go, they did a real good job, according
to Owens. "I highly commend, Russ Salcido and his crew, they were just
$4,000 over," he said.

"I'd also like to thank the Reeves County jail and staff in diligently
keeping federal prisoners and keeping within their budget," said Reeves
County Judge Jimmy B. Galindo. "It's up to the departments to provide excellent
services and do everything we can to provide them without unnecessary expenditures."

Bond and oath of offices were approved for elected officials and non-elected
appointees, including those of Castillo, representing Precinct 2, and Rayos,
who represents Precinct 4.

Employee uniform bids went to the lowest bidder, Martens Uniforms of
San Antonio.

Twenty names were selected for the Salary Grievance Committee. "We select
20 names, but start calling the first nine, if they agree to serve we don't
have to call the rest of the them," said county clerk Dianne Florez.

She explained that sometimes individuals don't want to serve, which
is the reason that so many names are selected. The selections are drawn
from the grand jury pool of names.

Budget amendments and line-item transfers were also approved, along
with minutes from previous meetings and semi-monthly bills.

Commissioner Castillo abstained from voting on the semi-monthly bills
item, because some of the bills from his company, La Nortena Tortilla Factory,
were included.

Midland decides to join Permian Basin task force

By PEGGY McCRACKENStaff WriterMonday's 3-1 vote by Midland County Commissioners to allow their sheriff's
office to join the drug task force being put together by Reeves County
adds strength to the eight-member group.

Pecos Police Chief Clay McKinney said this morning that he will meet
with Midland Sheriff Gary Painter Wednesday to prepare documents adding
Midland SO to the grant application awaiting approval in Austin.

"It won't slow down the grant," said McKinney. "We are allowed four
amendments per year. We are sitting on the edge of our chairs, expecting
it just any day."

The amendment would add funding to the grant for the task force to add
personnel from the Midland sheriff's office to the staff, McKinney said.

"We don't know who the commander will be," McKinney said.

McKinney, Reeves County Sheriff Andy Gomez and District Attorney Randy
Reynolds talked with the deputy director in Austin about the commander
position.

"He told us he would announce the position to all task forces within
the state and there is a good chance we will get a qualified person to
come in and run it for us," McKinney said.

Retaining the name of the defunct Permian Basin Drug Task Force, the
entity headed by Sheriff Gomez will be staffed by participating agencies,
but will work with any agency that requests help, Gomez said.

The West Texas Narcotics Task Force began operations in mid-October,
headed by Lt. David Bradshaw of the Department of Public Safety.

Midland commissioners indicated late last year it wanted to align the
county with the West Texas Narcotics Task Force, which is why Midland was
not included in the original Permian Basin Drug Task Force grant application.
Ector County, which served as host to the old PBDTF, voted to join the
DPS-supervised force during their county commissioners' meeting on Monday.

Pecos' tax rebate slips, others plunge

By JON FULBRIGHTStaff WriterThere's very little oil — and very few oil-related businesses — in
the mountains of West Texas, which may be why the cities there were about
the only ones in the area not to see a decline in their January sales tax
checks.

New state comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander said checks sent out as
part of the local share of Texas' state sales tax were up overall by 5.1
percent over January of 1998. But almost every city within the Permian
Basin saw their checks plunge compared to a year ago, when oil prices were
about 50 percent higher than their current levels.

That's led to oil industry cutbacks in West Texas, and while Rylander
said "consumers continue to show their confidence in the growing Texas
economy," that didn't hold true for area towns.

Pecos, just on the edge of the oil patch, got off easier than most.
The city's $48,202 check, based on it's 1.5 cent share of the sales tax,
was just a 4.45 percent drop from last year, when it got $50,448 back from
Austin. Balmorhea's sales tax check also declined, while Toyah's was up
by more than 60 percent, though part of that was due to a 1/2-cent hike
in the city's sales tax since last year.

A quarter-cent rise in its sales tax allowed Odessa to report a rise
in its rebate check over last year, but Midland was down by 12 percent,
Monahans by 13 percent, Andrews by 22 percent, Fort Stockton by 25 percent
and Crane saw it's check fall by 36 percent. Kermit was the only town to
escape the decline, as it got back a check that was a few dollars higher
than 1998.

Down in the mountains, the rebate checks more reflected the overall
state trend. Alpine saw it's January tax rebate check increase 25 percent,
to $58,922, while Van Horn's $17,055 check was up 22 1/2 percent and Presidio
reported a 5 7/2 percent rise, to $13,556. Marfa was the only city going
the other way — it's $3,582 check was 24 percent below last January.

Reeves County Hospital District also was one of the few net gainers
over a year ago. It's $19,780 rebate check from Rylander's office was about
$1,000 more than last year, a 5.7 percent gain.

Rylander said the $19.8 million check sent to Texas' biggest city, Houston,
was also 5.7 percent higher than 1998. Dallas got back $12.1 million, 6.7
percent above last year's figure, and San Antonio received an $8.5 million
tax rebate check, 7.9 percent more than last year.

Overall, Rylander's office sent out $163.8 million in sales tax payments
to the 1,096 cities and 118 counties that collect sales taxes in Texas.

Burkholder suing Phillips over broken oil contract

By PEGGY McCRACKENStaff WriterU.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of Austin began a week of trials in
the Pecos Division Monday with a civil action filed by Terry Burkholder
against Phillips Petroleum over mineral leases.

Burkholder had a contract to obtain leases for Phillips in the early
1980s, when the oil bust hit the Permian Basin. Because of the poor economy,
Phillips stopped leasing for several years, Burkholder testified Monday.

But when they resumed leasing, they used another broker, which Burkholder
said violates his contract and cost him up to $1.1 million in fees.

"That's what I would have made if I had been doing the leasing and paid
those amounts Phillips paid," said Burkholder.

After hearing testimony from Thomas J. Atkins, Mike Harrison, William
Arthur Chalfant, Phillip Kent Crawford and Paul Ireland, Judge Sparks ruled
that this was at best a poor contract and urged the parties to try to settle.

If no settlement is reached, Judge Parks will rule after receiving letter
briefs regarding the issue that termination of the contract carried a reasonable
time limit.

In the afternoon, a jury began hearing testimony in a marijuana possession
trial of March Anthony Davis of Macon, Ga.

Davis was arrested Oct. 17, 1998 after Border Patrol agents took luggage
containing marijuana off the bus Davis was riding when it was searched
in Van Horn.

The luggage belonged to his traveling companion, Augusta Thomas, Davis
testified. He said he didn't tell agents the luggage belonged to Thomas
because, "I was forced to be quiet."

Federal prisoner escapes from Presidio County Jail

By PEGGY McCRACKENStaff WriterPoints south are the focus of a search today for a federal prisoner
who escaped from the Presidio County Jail in Marfa late Monday.

Reymundo Calderon-Gaitan, 33, a Mexican citizen charged with illegal
entry, cut himself while climbing over a fence topped with concertina wire
sometime between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday, according to a broadcast alert
posted by Chief Jailer Bob Cook.

Calderon is 6-foot-3, weighs 175 pounds, has short black hair and brown
eyes. He was last seen wearing sweats and tennis shoes, the alert notes.

"We are actively involved in pursuing him right now," said Cook this
morning.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Paul Evans of Alpine is among area law enforcement
officers joining in the search.